KiwiRail Is the Best Way to Explore New Zealand's South Island

22.10.2024 - 22:23 / cntraveler.com

Wellington, New Zealand straddles one of the world’s great natural harbors. It's a vibrant capital city, gently nestled along the corrugated landscape that rises from the water to meet the 650-foot ridgelines of Matairangi (also known Mount Victoria). As stunning as it was to observe this scene from the Interislander ferry port, I had to wonder what I was doing here: I came to embark on a nearly two-week long Great Journeys New Zealand train trip. But this was where the adventure was to commence—aboard a 1350-passenger sea vessel, with nary a track nor train car in sight.

It turns out, KiwiRail, the state-owned train operator behind Great Journeys New Zealand, had purchased the Interislander ferry service back in 2008. As an alternative to tunneling track beneath the Cook Strait, this is a far cheaper and easier method to bridge the maritime gap between North Island and South Island. It also affords a far more majestic route: the 57-mile journey from Wellington to Picton shuttles passengers through the Marlborough Sounds and is one of the most spectacular crossings I’ve ever witnessed.

By the time I disembarked, some 3.5 hours later, it had become clear that trains would merely serve as springboards on my ensuing 11-day journey; a means to a multitude of scenic ends. The rail network would connect me with so many other exciting modes of transit—including ferry, bus, jet boat, steamship, fixed-wing prop plane, and helicopter.

I'm on a trip organized by Great Journeys—the tourism arm of Kiwi Rail—which offers over a dozen high-end tours linking New Zealand's five long-distance train routes with overnight hotel stays and on-the-ground activities. I opted for the “Spectacular South” itinerary from Wellington to Queenstown, combining two legs of the Coastal Pacific and Tranzalpine routes. The all-inclusive $5,500 price tag covers accommodations, excursions, and meals.

While Kiwi Rail is no luxury sleeper train, Great Journeys just rolled out new “Scenic Plus” carriages this year to kick things up a notch. The revamped train cars feature panoramic windows, interior flourishes—such as lighting fixtures and furnishings designed by Maori artists—and an upgraded dining package built around a paddock-to-plate concept, where regional food and drink is served while the train passes through the areas that produce everything on your plate.

The 11-day “Spectacular South” itinerary with Great Journeys begins in Wellington and ends in Queenstown, pictured above.

Throughout my traveling life, I have met extended train excursions with a certain degree of resistance (indeed, this was by far the longest itinerary I had ever done by rail). Although there is an undeniable romantic charm to watching the world literally roll